Gator Bowl: Mountaineers DB looking for tickets

Jeff Elliott

Tuesday

Dec 29, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Have any extra Gator Bowl tickets? If so, contact West Virginia defensive back Boogie Allen.

Allen is one of two Jacksonville-area players on the Mountaineers roster who is in town for Friday's Konica Minolta Gator Bowl. The former Trinity Christian standout has been hit hard by friends and family members for tickets, with more requests likely to come.

"I've pulled together 12 or 16 tickets so far, but I need more," Allen said.

Allen will be in the starting lineup against the Seminoles, replacing Nate Sowers, who's been ruled academically ineligible. Allen has started four games and played in seven others this season.

"I was not a Florida State fan growing up," Allen said. "My brother [Guss Scott] played for Florida, so I started becoming a Florida fan. Florida showed interest in me, but it was to play safety and I wanted to play corner. So, I ended up here and then moved to safety anyway. But I'm comfortable about playing safety."

Scott, after a brief career with the New England Patriots, is back at Trinity Christian where he is the offensive coordinator for the Conquerors.

Feisty MountaineersWest Virginia's first practice in Jacksonville on Monday was a spirited one, one that included fisticuffs by a couple of unidentified Mountaineers players. Other WVU players intervened and brought the skirmish to a halt.

"That happens," West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said. "It all stayed on the field and when we walked into the locker room, it was done and forgotten. It didn't get out of hand. The players took care of it. I'm not going to jump in there, the players are too big for me.

"It was a good typical, blue-collar West Virginia work day. They were having fun, it was good."

Bowden's escort not sure about future with FisherFlorida State fans know the face if not the name: retired Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Billy Smith, who has served as the escort for Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden for all 34 years of Bowden's tenure in Tallahassee, both home and away.

Smith is with Bowden this week in Jacksonville for Friday's game, as usual. What he's not sure about is whether he will service in a similar capacity for Jimbo Fisher when he takes over as the Seminoles' coach Jan. 2.

"Coach Fisher and I have talked, and we'll talk more about it down the road," Smith said Monday at Jacksonville University, during FSU's practice. "I'm not sure what will happen. It's a decision both of us have to arrive at mutually."

Smith, 78, began serving as an escort to FSU coaches when Bill Peterson was running the program in the 1960s. Smith retired from the FHP in 1985 but has continued to work with Bowden and is allowed to wear his uniform during those times. Smith volunteers - he has never been paid by Florida State or the taxpayers for the service he offers to Bowden.

Defending the spreadWest Virginia's unique 3-3-5 defense, with two players as hybrid strong safety/linebacker types, is fairly unique in college football - at the moment.

Fisher said it might increase in popularity in response to the spread offense. Just as that attack spreads defenses and attacks with talented skill position players, so might variations of three-man fronts increase as a way of matching up to the athletes. He also said football coaches are getting athletes who realize they might not be tall enough to play basketball.

"I think we're seeing a lot of those basketball power forward-type guys, 6-2 to 6-6, 215 pounds to 240 ... not true linemen or linebackers, but they play in space, and you can rush them or drop them [in coverage]," Fisher said. "They've realized you need to be 6-6 and special with the ball to make it in basketball, but if they're 6-2, 200, and can run and jump, they can make some money in football."

Beating the EastBowden is 2-0 against West Virginia, both in Gator Bowls. But that's only a small part of the dominance Florida State has shown under Bowden against schools from Northeastern states.

The Seminoles are 31-9 against the Northeast under Bowden, for a winning percentage of .789. The bulk of that record has been built up against Maryland (16-2), but Bowden is 5-2 against Boston College and 4-0 against Syracuse.

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